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Abstract:

An apparatus configured to receive, from a remote apparatus (master
navigator), a bearing signal indicating the directional offset of a
destination with respect to a directional reference, and use the bearing
signal to indicate, on a portable apparatus (direction resolver), the
heading of the destination with respect to a directional reference of the
portable apparatus. Also discussed are a method, computer program code,
and a bearing signal.

Claims:

1-21. (canceled)

22. An apparatus, the apparatus configured to: receive, from a remote
apparatus, a bearing signal indicating a directional offset of a
destination with respect to a directional reference; and use the bearing
signal to indicate, on a portable apparatus, a heading of the destination
with respect to a directional reference of the portable apparatus.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the bearing signal is a current
bearing signal valid for a time instance, and the apparatus is configured
to: receive respective current bearing signals indicating the directional
offset of the destination with respect to the directional reference at
the respective corresponding time instances; and use the respective
current bearing signals to adjust the indicated heading of the
destination as the portable apparatus is moved with respect to a
directional reference of the portable apparatus.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the apparatus is configured to use
the respective current bearing signals to adjust the indicated heading of
the destination as the portable apparatus is moved by: rotation of the
portable apparatus with respect to the directional reference of the
portable apparatus; and/or translation of the portable apparatus.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the directional offset is
configured to provide a single directional value with respect to the
directional reference.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus is configured to
receive the bearing signal wirelessly from the remote apparatus.

28. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the apparatus is
configured to receive and use the bearing signal to indicate the heading
using at least one of a memory, a processor, a micro-electro-mechanical
system, and a logic gate configuration of the apparatus.

29. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the heading of the destination is
indicated on the portable apparatus by using an audio and/or visual
indication of a direction required to reach the destination.

30. A computer readable medium comprising computer program code stored
thereon, the computer readable medium and computer program code being
configured to, when run on at least one processor, perform at least the
following: receive, from a remote apparatus, a bearing signal indicating
the directional offset of a destination with respect to a directional
reference; and use the bearing signal to indicate, using a portable
apparatus, the heading of the destination with respect to a directional
reference of the portable apparatus.

31. A method comprising: receiving, from a remote apparatus, a bearing
signal indicating the directional offset of a destination with respect to
a directional reference; and using the bearing signal to indicate, using
a portable apparatus, the heading of the destination with respect to a
directional reference of the portable apparatus.

32. A bearing signal comprising the directional offset of a destination
with respect to a directional reference of a remote apparatus, the
bearing signal configured for: transmission from the remote apparatus to
an apparatus; and use by the apparatus to indicate, on a portable
apparatus, the heading of the destination with respect to a directional
reference of the portable apparatus.

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of navigation,
associated methods, computer programs and apparatus. Certain disclosed
aspects relate to portable electronic devices, in particular, so-called
hand-portable electronic devices which may be hand-held in use (although
they may be placed in a cradle in use). Such hand-portable electronic
devices include so-called Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and tablet
personal computers.

[0003] An electronic device may be able to provide a user with an
indication of which direction to travel in to arrive at a particular
destination. Such electronic devices include devices with global
positioning system (GPS) functionality such as navigators and some mobile
telephones and portable computers.

[0004] The listing or discussion of a prior-published document or any
background in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an
acknowledgement that the document or background is part of the state of
the art or is common general knowledge.

SUMMARY

[0005] In a first aspect, there is provided an apparatus, the apparatus
configured to:

[0006] receive, from a remote apparatus, a bearing
signal indicating the directional offset of a destination with respect to
a directional reference; and

[0007] use the bearing signal to indicate,
on a portable apparatus, the heading of the destination with respect to a
directional reference of the portable apparatus.

[0008] A user may plot a route or input a desired destination to a GPS
enabled smartphone (an example of a master navigator/remote apparatus).
The user may have a portable apparatus/direction resolver to hand. The
direction resolver may be a relatively simple device configured to
receive a bearing signal and indicate a direction/heading, but need not
have GPS or navigating functionality by itself. The apparatus (which may
be comprised in the direction resolver or may be the direction resolver
itself in certain examples) is configured to receive a bearing signal
indicating the directional offset of a destination with respect to a
directional reference of the remote apparatus/smartphone. The bearing
signal may be, for example, "travel 120° from North", where
120° is the directional offset from North and North is the
directional reference of the remote apparatus/smartphone. Therefore the
bearing signal provides an angle away from a known reference as a heading
towards a destination.

[0009] In the following description, the portable apparatus may be
considered a direction resolver and may be configured to indicate a
direction of travel to a user. The remote apparatus may be considered a
master navigator (for example, it may be a GPS enabled smartphone or
navigation device). The apparatus may be the direction resolver or may be
comprised in the direction resolver.

[0010] The apparatus is also configured to use the bearing signal to
indicate, on the direction resolver (portable apparatus), the heading of
the destination with respect to a directional reference of the portable
apparatus/direction resolver. If the directional reference of the master
navigator (remote apparatus) and the portable apparatus/direction
resolver are the same, or the relationship between these references is
known, it is possible to use the simple bearing signal to navigate. For
example, the portable device may be able to determine North (or another
known reference direction) itself. The bearing signal instructs the
portable device to indicate a direction of 120° from North, which
can be calculated from the internal direction reference of the portable
apparatus/direction resolver, and indicated to a user. The user can then
follow the indicated heading of the destination to arrive at their
desired destination. Advantageously, by use of the bearing signal, much
like a compass, if the user rotates the portable apparatus/direction
resolver the indicated heading will remain pointing towards the desired
destination. The user need not consult their remote apparatus/master
navigator directly but can still see which direction/heading to travel in
just by using their portable apparatus/direction resolver.

[0011] The bearing signal may be a current bearing signal valid for a time
instance, and the apparatus may be configured to:

[0012] receive
respective current bearing signals indicating the directional offset of
the destination with respect to the directional reference at the
respective corresponding time instances; and

[0013] use the respective
current bearing signals to adjust the indicated heading of the
destination as the portable apparatus is moved with respect to a
directional reference of the portable apparatus.

[0014] Thus the apparatus may receive periodic updates of the bearing
signal from the remote apparatus/master navigator. The adjustment of the
bearing signal in time may take into account the movement of the portable
apparatus/direction resolver to correct the indicated direction heading.
The remote apparatus/master navigator may, for example, be able to track
the current location of the portable apparatus/direction resolver. This
may be via both the master navigator and portable apparatus/direction
resolver being considered as co-located (for example, both located at the
same user or within a Bluetooth operating radius), or via a known
relative orientation and position of the portable apparatus/direction
resolver with respect to the remote apparatus/master navigator.

[0015] The apparatus may be configured to use the respective current
bearing signals to adjust the indicated heading of the destination as the
portable apparatus/direction resolver is moved by rotation of the
portable apparatus/direction resolver with respect to the directional
reference of the portable apparatus/direction resolver; and/or
translation of the portable apparatus/direction resolver. For example, as
the portable apparatus/direction resolver is rotated about a point (such
as a user holding the portable apparatus/direction resolver and
stretching out his arm, causing rotation about a vertical axis) the
indication of the heading of the destination may rotate in the opposite
sense to compensate for the apparatus/direction resolver rotation to keep
the indicator pointing toward the destination.

[0016] The directional offset may be configured to provide a single
directional value for the offset of the destination with respect to the
directional reference. The directional offset may be configured to
provide a single angular directional value for the offset of the
destination with respect to the directional reference in one of: degrees,
radians, turns, or gradians.

[0017] The directional reference used to provide the bearing signal and/or
the directional reference of the portable apparatus may be one of: North;
South; East; West; and Magnetic North.

[0018] The directional reference used to provide the bearing signal and
the directional reference of the portable apparatus/direction resolver
may be the same, such that the bearing signal is configured to indicate
the directional offset of the destination with respect to the directional
reference of the portable apparatus/direction resolver. For example, both
the remote/master navigator and portable apparatus/direction resolver may
use Magnetic North as a directional reference.

[0019] The apparatus may be further configured to, when the remote
apparatus/master navigator and portable apparatus/direction resolver are
within a pre-configured separation of each other: receive, from the
remote apparatus/master navigator, a distance signal indicating the
distance away of the destination with respect to a determined location of
the remote apparatus/master navigator; and use the distance signal to
indicate, on the portable apparatus/direction resolver, an approximate
distance away of the destination with respect to the portable
apparatus/direction resolver based on the distance away of the
destination with respect to the remote apparatus/master navigator. Thus
the portable apparatus/direction resolver may indicate, for example, the
direction in which to travel to reach a destination and the distance
which the user must travel to reach the destination.

[0020] The portable apparatus/direction resolver may be configured to be
one or more of wearable or carried. The portable apparatus/direction
resolver may be one or more of a wrist-wearable device, a clip, a
handheld device, a pair of glasses, a pair of headphones, or a module for
one or more of the same. It may be, for example, worn as a wristwatch,
clipped to a sleeve or cuff, or worn around the neck on a lanyard.

[0021] The apparatus may be configured to receive the bearing signal
wirelessly from the remote apparatus/master navigator. The apparatus may
comprise a receiver configured to receive the bearing signal wirelessly
via radio-communication. Such communication may be via Bluetooth,
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE/BTLE), near-field communication (NFC), wireless
local area network (WLAN) signals directly or via a server, via a
messaging service, data download, or other suitable communication method
known in the art. The apparatus may be configured to receive the bearing
signal from a wired connection to the master navigator (remote
apparatus), for example using low voltage USB attached to a suitably
configured item of clothing.

[0022] The apparatus may be configured to receive and use the bearing
signal to indicate the heading using at least one of a memory, a
processor, a micro-electro-mechanical system, and a logic gate
configuration of the apparatus.

[0023] The heading of the destination may be indicated on the portable
apparatus/direction resolver by using an audio and/or visual indication
of the direction required to reach the destination. The heading of the
destination may be indicated using the portable apparatus/direction
resolver by one or more of: indicators positioned around a centre of the
portable apparatus/direction resolver (such as a line of LEDs); a clock
face indicator of the portable apparatus/direction resolver; a pointer of
the portable apparatus/direction resolver; a textual display of the
portable apparatus/direction resolver (such as a text display screen
which may indicate "turn left" or "head north west", for example); an
audio indicator from the portable apparatus/direction resolver (which may
provide spoken instructions or may be provide a beep or tone indicating
that the portable apparatus/direction resolver is pointing in the
direction of the heading or not); adjustment of the volume level of audio
indicators provided to respective speakers of a pair of headphones; and a
directional haptic/tactile/vibratory indicator from the portable
apparatus/direction resolver.

[0024] The heading of the destination with respect to a directional
reference of the portable apparatus/direction resolver may be indicated
as one or more of an indicator showing the direction in a straight line
from the portable apparatus/direction resolver to the destination and an
indicator showing an immediate direction of travel required to arrive
ultimately at the destination taking into account route parameters. The
indicator showing the direction in a straight line may provide an "as the
crow flies" indication of the overall heading of the destination. The
indicator showing an immediate direction of travel may be provided if,
for example, the remote apparatus/master navigator has determined a route
through an urban landscape and can provide a series of periodically
updated road-by-road bearing signals for the user to follow (and thus
take account of route parameters).

[0025] The apparatus may be the portable apparatus (e.g., a direction
resolver) or a module for the same.

[0026] The remote apparatus may be one or more of: a global positioning
system device, a smartphone with global positioning system functionality,
a personal digital assistant with global positioning system
functionality, a navigator, a server, or a module for one or more of the
same.

[0027] The apparatus and/or portable apparatus/direction resolver may not
have global positioning (GPS) system functionality.

[0028] In another aspect, there is provided a method, the method
comprising:

[0029] receiving, from a remote apparatus, a bearing signal
indicating the directional offset of a destination with respect to a
directional reference; and

[0030] using the bearing signal to indicate,
using a portable apparatus, the heading of the destination with respect
to a directional reference of the portable apparatus.

[0031] In another aspect there is provided a computer readable medium
comprising computer program code stored thereon, the computer readable
medium and computer program code being configured to, when run on at
least one processor, perform at least the following:

[0032] receive,
from a remote apparatus, a bearing signal indicating the directional
offset of a destination with respect to a directional reference; and

[0033] use the bearing signal to indicate, using a portable apparatus,
the heading of the destination with respect to a directional reference of
the portable apparatus.

[0034] The computer program may be stored on a storage media (e.g. on a
CD, a DVD, a memory stick or other non-transitory medium). The computer
program may be configured to run on a device or apparatus as an
application. An application may be run by a device or apparatus via an
operating system.

[0035] In another aspect there is provided a bearing signal comprising the
directional offset of a destination with respect to a directional
reference of a remote apparatus, the bearing signal configured for:

[0036] transmission from the remote apparatus to an apparatus; and

[0037]
use by the apparatus to indicate, on a portable apparatus, the heading of
the destination with respect to a directional reference of the portable
apparatus.

[0038] In another aspect, there is provided an apparatus, the apparatus
comprising:

[0039] means for receiving, from a remote apparatus, a
bearing signal indicating the directional offset of a destination with
respect to a directional reference; and

[0040] means for using the
bearing signal to indicate, using a portable apparatus, the heading of
the destination with respect to a directional reference of the portable
apparatus.

[0041] The present disclosure includes one or more corresponding aspects,
examples or features in isolation or in various combinations whether or
not specifically stated (including claimed) in that combination or in
isolation. Corresponding means and corresponding functional units (e.g. a
bearing signal receiver, a heading indicator, a heading calculator, a
directional reference determiner, a master navigator, and a direction
resolver) for performing one or more of the discussed functions are also
within the present disclosure.

[0042] Corresponding computer programs for implementing one or more of the
methods disclosed are also within the present disclosure and encompassed
by one or more of the described examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0043] A description is now given, by way of example only, with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0049] FIGS. 9a-9c illustrate indicators on a portable apparatus/direction
resolver showing the heading in a straight line to a destination, and an
immediate heading of travel required to ultimately arrive at a
destination.

[0050] FIGS. 10a-10b illustrate an adjustment of the volume level of an
audio indicator of a heading of a destination;

[0051] FIGS. 11a-11b illustrate an apparatus/direction resolver in
communication with a remote server or cloud and a master navigator;

[0052] FIG. 12 illustrates a method according to the present disclosure;
and

[0054] An electronic device may be able to provide a user with an
indication of which direction to travel in to arrive at a particular
destination. Such electronic devices include devices with global
positioning system (GPS) functionality and devices with mapping
functionality, such as navigators and some mobile telephones and portable
computers.

[0055] For example, a user may be able to input a desired destination to a
device with GPS functionality. Using GPS, the device may be able to
determine the current location of the user, and plot the user's current
location on a map. The device may also be able to provide the user with,
for example, a route marked out on the map and/or set of directions to
follow in order to arrive at the desired destination. The user may be
presented with an arrow or other pointer showing in which direction they
should travel.

[0056] Such a device may not be practical for use in all situations. For
example, if the user is walking and it is raining outside, the device is
likely to get wet and may be damaged or difficult to see clearly. Another
example is of a user travelling by bicycle. Such a user could not hold a
GPS device and also control the bicycle whilst riding. As another
example, if a user is walking in an unfamiliar town or city, they may not
wish to have their GPS device on show as the user may be a target for a
thief.

[0057] It may therefore be advantageous for a user to be presented on a
portable apparatus/direction resolver with a direction in which to travel
in order to reach a particular destination without needing to look at or
handle their GPS device. It may also be advantageous for the direction to
be presented to the user via a portable device which is small, discrete,
may be worn if required rather than carried, which provides a simple
clear indication of a direction of travel based on the user's
requirements to reach a particular destination, and which is relatively
simple and cheap to manufacture. Examples described herein may be
considered to provide one or more such advantages, particularly if the
direction resolver itself does not have GPS functionality.

[0058] Examples depicted in the figures have been provided with reference
numerals that correspond to similar features of earlier described
examples. These numbered features may appear in the figures but may not
have been directly referred to within the description of these particular
examples. These have still been provided in the figures to aid
understanding of the further examples, particularly in relation to the
features of similar earlier described examples.

[0059] FIGS. 1-4 show apparatus 100, 200, 300, 400 which are configured to
receive, from a master navigator (remote apparatus), a bearing signal
indicating the directional offset of a destination with respect to a
directional reference; and use the bearing signal to indicate, on a
direction resolver (portable apparatus), the heading of the destination
with respect to a directional reference of the direction resolver.

[0060] FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus which comprises at least one of a
processor 110, a memory 120, a micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) device
130, and a logic gate configuration 140. The apparatus 100 need not
contain all these elements. The apparatus also comprises an input I to
allow for signalling to be received from further components, and an
output O to provide onward signalling to further components.

[0061] In particular, in certain embodiments, the apparatus may comprise
just one, or more than one, of the elements 110, 120, 130, 140 with
respective inputs and outputs configured to perform one or more of the
present described methods. In one example, the components of the
apparatus I, O, 110, 120, 130, 140 may be integrated in a single
chip/circuit for installation in an electronic device, or may be
distributed, for example throughout a portable electronic device. The
input I may be used to receive the bearing signal from the remote
apparatus/master navigator. The output O may be used to provide the
heading of the destination for display indication to the user.

[0062] A MEMS device 130 may be used as an internal direction reference,
as certain MEMS devices may be used to determine the location of North.
Such devices are relatively small and may be manufactured on a chip, for
example for later integration into a portable apparatus/direction
resolver. A logic gate configuration 140 may be used as a calculating
device to determine a difference between the internal direction reference
of the portable apparatus/direction resolver and the received bearing
signal, to output the required heading of the destination. In this sense
a logic gate configuration may act as a processing element to process the
received bearing signal and calculate a heading for output.

[0063] FIG. 2 also illustrates an apparatus 200, which in this example
comprises a processor 210, memory 220, input I and output O. Only one
processor and one memory are shown but other examples may use more than
one processor and/or more than one memory (for example, the same or
different processor/memory types). The apparatus 200 may be an
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for a portable electronic
device. The apparatus 200 may also be a module for a device, or may be
the device itself, wherein the processor 210 is a general purpose CPU and
the memory 220 is general purpose memory.

[0064] The input I allows for receipt of signalling (for example, by wired
or wireless means or any suitable radio link e.g., Bluetooth or over a
WLAN) to the apparatus 200 from further components. The output O allows
for onward provision of signalling from the apparatus 200 to further
components. In this example the input I and output O are part of a
connection bus that allows for connection of the apparatus 200 to further
components. The processor 210 is a general purpose processor dedicated to
executing/processing information received via the input I in accordance
with instructions stored in the form of computer program code on the
memory 220. The output signalling generated by such operations from the
processor 210 is provided onwards to further components via the output O.

[0065] The memory 220 (not necessarily a single memory unit) is a computer
readable medium (such as solid state memory, a hard drive, ROM, RAM,
Flash or other memory) that stores computer program code. This computer
program code stores instructions that are executable by the processor
210, when the program code is run on the processor 210. The internal
connections between the memory 220 and the processor 210 can be
understood to provide active coupling between the processor 210 and the
memory 220 to allow the processor 210 to access the computer program code
stored on the memory 220.

[0066] In this example the input I, output O, processor 210 and memory 220
are electrically connected internally to allow for communication between
the respective components I, O, 210, 220, which in this example are
located proximate to one another as an ASIC. In this way the components
I, O, 210, 220 may be integrated in a single chip/circuit for
installation in an electronic device. In other examples one or more or
all of the components may be located separately, for example throughout a
portable electronic device, or through a "cloud", and/or may
provide/support other functionality.

[0067] The apparatus 200 may be used as a component for another apparatus
as shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a variation of apparatus 200
incorporating the functionality of apparatus 200 over separate
components. In other examples the device 300 may comprise apparatus 300
as a module (shown by the optional dashed line box) for a mobile phone,
PDA or audio/video player or the like. Such a module, apparatus or device
may just comprise a suitably configured memory and processor.

[0068] The example apparatus/device 300 comprises a display 340 such as a
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), e-Ink, or (capacitive) touch-screen user
interface. The device 300 is configured such that it may receive,
include, and/or otherwise access data. For example, device 300 comprises
a communications unit 350 (such as a receiver, transmitter, and/or
transceiver), in communication with an antenna 360 for connection to a
wireless network and/or a port (not shown). Device 300 comprises a memory
320 for storing data, which may be received via antenna 360 or user
interface 330. The processor 310 may receive data from the user interface
330, from the memory 320, or from the communication unit 350. The user
interface 330 may comprise one or more input units, such as, for example,
a physical and/or virtual button, a touch-sensitive panel, a capacitive
touch-sensitive panel, and/or one or more sensors such as infra-red
sensors or surface acoustic wave sensors. Data may be output to a user of
device 300 via the display device 340, and/or any other output devices
provided with apparatus. The processor 310 may also store the data for
later user in the memory 320. The device contains components connected
via communications bus 380.

[0069] The communications unit 350 can be, for example, a receiver,
transmitter, and/or transceiver, that is in communication with an antenna
360 for connecting to a wireless network (for example, to transmit a
determined geographical location) and/or a port (not shown) for accepting
a physical connection to a network, such that data may be received (for
example, from a white space access server) via one or more types of
network. The communications (or data) bus 380 may provide active coupling
between the processor 310 and the memory (or storage medium) 320 to allow
the processor 310 to access the computer program code stored on the
memory 320.

[0070] The memory 320 comprises computer program code in the same way as
the memory 220 of apparatus 200, but may also comprise other data. The
processor 310 may receive data from the user interface 330, from the
memory 320, or from the communication unit 350. Regardless of the origin
of the data, these data may be outputted to a user of device 300 via the
display device 340, and/or any other output devices provided with
apparatus. The processor 310 may also store the data for later user in
the memory 320.

[0071] FIG. 4 shows a device/apparatus 400 which may be an electronic
device, a portable electronic device, a portable telecommunications
device, or a module for such a device (such as a mobile telephone,
smartphone, PDA or tablet computer). The apparatus 200 may be provided as
a module for a device 400, or even as a processor/memory for the device
400 or a processor/memory for a module for such a device 400. The device
400 comprises a processor 485 and a storage medium 490, which are
electrically connected by a data bus 480. This data bus 480 can provide
an active coupling between the processor 485 and the storage medium 490
to allow the processor 485 to access the computer program code.

[0072] The apparatus 200 in FIG. 4 is electrically connected to an
input/output interface 470 that receives the output from the apparatus
200 and transmits this to the device 400 via a data bus 480. The
interface 470 can be connected via the data bus 480 to a display 475
(touch-sensitive or otherwise) that provides information from the
apparatus 200 to a user. Display 475 can be part of the device 400 or can
be separate. The device 400 also comprises a processor 485 that is
configured for general control of the apparatus 200 as well as the device
400 by providing signalling to, and receiving signalling from, other
device components to manage their operation.

[0073] The storage medium 490 is configured to store computer code
configured to perform, control or enable the operation of the apparatus
200. The storage medium 490 may be configured to store settings for the
other device components. The processor 485 may access the storage medium
490 to retrieve the component settings in order to manage the operation
of the other device components. The storage medium 490 may be a temporary
storage medium such as a volatile random access memory. The storage
medium 490 may also be a permanent storage medium such as a hard disk
drive, a flash memory, or a non-volatile random access memory. The
storage medium 490 could be composed of different combinations of the
same or different memory types.

[0074] FIG. 5 illustrates a portable apparatus (direction resolver) 500 in
one-way communication with a remote apparatus (master navigator) 502. The
master navigator 502 is remote in the sense that it is separate/remote
from the direction resolver 500. For example, the master navigator 500
may be a smartphone in a user's bag, and the direction resolver 500 may
be a direction indicator on a wrist strap. The direction resolver 500 is
configured to receive a bearing signal 504 from the master navigator 502
indicating the directional offset of a destination with respect to a
directional reference (for example, 68° from North). The direction
resolver 500 uses the bearing signal 504 to indicate the heading of the
destination (for example, via an arrow 506) with respect to a directional
reference of the direction resolver 500 (such as North). The above may be
performed by a suitably configured apparatus which in certain examples is
part of the direction resolver, and in other examples is the direction
resolver.

[0075] The direction resolver 500 is a portable apparatus which may be
considered a direction indicator, compass device, or a slave device. In
certain embodiments the direction resolver would be a simple device which
is readily accessible to a user, for example worn on a wrist strap. The
master navigator 502 may be considered a master device, or a bearing
signal transmitter. The master navigator in certain examples may be a
device configured for navigation, such as a navigator or smartphone with
GPS functionality.

[0076] The system illustrated in FIG. 5 may be suitable if the master
navigator 502 is configured to use off line mapping/GPS functionality and
the master navigator 502 is GPS enabled. Only one link is need from the
master navigator 502 to the direction resolver 500 and the link may be
one way to the direction resolver 500. No external server or cloud is
required in certain examples such as this. The bearing signal 504 is sent
with respect to a reference of the master navigator 502, and the
direction resolver 500 resolves the heading for display to a user from
its own reference direction and the received bearing signal 504.

[0077] FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate a direction resolver (portable
apparatus) 650 and a master navigator (remote apparatus) 600. In this
example, master navigator 600 is a GPS navigation device and direction
resolver 650 is a tile on a wrist strap which may be worn similarly to a
watch. In some embodiments the apparatus 650 may be a watch which is also
configured as described herein to display an indication of a heading of a
destination. In FIG. 6a the direction resolver 650 is oriented so that
the top of the display 652 is facing North 654, and in FIG. 6b the top of
the display 652 is facing South 658.

[0078] In this example scenario, a user may wish to use his GPS navigation
apparatus 600 to walk to a predetermined destination which he has
previously input to the master navigator 600, and master navigator 600 is
able to calculate a route for the user to follow from the user's current
position to arrive at the predetermined destination. In this example
apparatus 600 is displaying the predetermined destination "High Street
Post Office" 602, and the user's current location "45 Kings Wood" 604.
The apparatus 600 has also determined the current bearing from North
which the user must follow to arrive at the predetermined destination.
The bearing is shown as "66°" from North 606, and as a pointer
indicating 66° from North on a virtual compass 608.

[0079] However, in this example, the user does not wish to walk around
outdoors holding his GPS navigation apparatus 600 as he travels to his
destination. Therefore, rather than looking at the master navigator 600,
the user is able to look at his direction resolver 650, and keep his
master navigator 600 safely in his pocket or bag. The elements 602, 604,
606, 608 are shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b for illustration, but it will be
appreciated that none of these elements need to be displayed if the
master navigator device 600 is stored, for example, in the user's bag or
pocket. The user need not consult the display of the master navigator
device 600 and may use the information displayed on the direction
resolver 650 for navigation. The battery of the device 600 may be able to
power the master navigator device 600 for longer if few or no elements
are displayed on the master navigator device 600.

[0080] In this example, the apparatus is the direction resolver 650. In
other examples, the apparatus may be a module or component of the
direction resolver 650 or may be separate to the direction resolver 650.
The direction resolver 650 receives, from the master navigator 600, a
bearing signal indicating the directional offset of the destination with
respect to the directional reference. In this example the bearing signal
corresponds to an angle of 66° 606, 608 away from North (North is
the directional reference). Therefore the direction resolver may receive
a bearing signal communicating "66° from North", for example.

[0081] The direction resolver 650 then uses the bearing signal to indicate
653 the heading of the destination with respect to the directional
reference of the direction resolver 650. In this example, the directional
reference (North) used to provide the bearing signal from the master
navigator 600, and the directional reference of the direction resolver
650 are the same (the direction resolver 650 also has the directional
reference of North). Therefore the bearing signal is configured to
indicate the directional offset of the destination with respect to the
directional reference of the direction resolver 650. In other examples,
the directional reference of the direction resolver 650 and the master
navigator 600 need not be the same.

[0082] Thus the direction resolver receives a bearing signal of
"66° from North", and, calculating a difference from its own
internal directional reference of North, indicates the direction in which
the user should travel. In this example, the indicated direction of
travel is shown as an illuminated light emitting diode (LED) located
towards the outside/perimeter of the direction resolver 650. In this
example, only one LED is illuminated, but the heading of the destination
may be indicated by two neighbouring illuminated LEDs if in a direction
between the two LEDs.

[0083] FIG. 6a shows that the master navigator 600 and the direction
resolver 650 are both pointing North 654, and so the heading of the
destination is shown in the same direction on both apparatus, at
66° from North (towards the top right of the figure). In FIG. 6b,
the wearer/user of the direction resolver 650 has turned around by
180° so that the top 652 of their direction resolver 650 is facing
South 658. The direction resolver 650 has adjusted the indication of the
heading of the destination because the user has moved, so the illuminated
LED has moved around 662 the face of the direction resolver 650 as the
user moved from facing North 654 to facing South 658. Thus the
illuminated LED 660 indicating the heading of the destination is still
pointing in the direction in which the user should travel, 66°
from North 654.

[0084] The directional offset (66°) sent to the direction resolver
650 in this example provides a single directional value in degrees for
the offset of the destination with respect to the directional reference
(North 654). In other examples, the direction resolver 650 may receive an
angular value in radians, turns (e.g., a quarter turn) or gradians, for
example.

[0085] In this example, the directional reference of the master navigator
600 and of the direction resolver 650 is North 654. In other examples,
the directional reference of either apparatus 600, 650, may be North;
South; East; West; or Magnetic North, and the directional reference of
the master navigator may not be the same as the directional reference of
the direction resolver. For example, if the directional reference of the
master navigator 600 is North, and the directional reference of the
direction resolver 650 is Magnetic North, the bearing signal may be, for
example "66° from North". The direction resolver may use the
received information "66° from North", and also the information
"North is x° from Magnetic North", as well as its own directional
reference of Magnetic North, to indicate the heading of the destination
with respect to its own directional reference of Magnetic North.

[0086] FIG. 7a illustrates a master navigator (remote apparatus) 700,
which in this example is a mobile telephone with GPS functionality. A
user has entered a desired destination 702 into the master navigator 700.
The master navigator 700 has calculated the user's current position 704,
and plotted it on a map 706 with the location of the desired destination
708. The desired destination name is displayed 702 as "4 Boar Lane,
Leeds" along with the user's current location 710 of "Leeds Train
Station" and the bearing 712 of "45°" which the user needs to
travel on in order to reach the desired destination 702, 708 from their
current location 704, 710. The master navigator 700 also displays a
virtual compass 714 indicating the bearing on which the user needs to
travel, which is North East 716 (45° from North).

[0087] Again, the user does not want to hold their mobile telephone 700
out in public as they walk to their destination. They therefore use a
direction resolver (portable apparatus) as shown in FIGS. 7b-7d. The
direction resolver 750 in this example is wearable, for example on a
wrist strap or a clip attached to the user's cuff or sleeve. In other
examples the direction resolver may be carried by the user as a handheld
device, or worn as a pair of "augmented reality" glasses provided a
"heads-up type display". None of the displayed elements on the master
navigator device 700 need to be displayed if the device 700 is stored in
the user's bag or pocket. The user need not consult the display of the
device 700 and is able to use the information displayed on the direction
resolver 750 for navigation.

[0088] In this example both the master navigator 700 and direction
resolver 750 have North as a directional reference. The apparatus (which
may be the direction resolver 750 or a module for the apparatus 750)
receives a bearing signal (such as "45° from North") from the
master navigator 700, indicating the directional offset of the
destination with respect to the directional reference (North) of the
master navigator 700. The apparatus then uses the bearing signal to
indicate on the direction resolver 750 the heading of the destination
702, 708 with respect to a directional reference (also North) of the
direction resolver 750.

[0089] The user 770 in FIG. 7b is facing North. When the user 770 looks at
his direction resolver 750, it indicates using a pointer 754 that he
needs to move in a direction which is 45° from North. From his
current perspective this is forward and to his right.

[0090] In FIG. 7c, the user has turned around to face South. Now when the
user 770 looks at his direction resolver 750, the pointer 756 on the
direction resolver 750 has rotated to compensate for the user's own
rotation which caused a change of angular orientation of the direction
resolver 750 with respect to the directional reference of the direction
resolver 750. Thus the direction resolver 750 still indicates that the
user needs to move in a direction which is 45° from North, but
from the user's perspective this is now in a direction behind him and to
his left.

[0091] In FIG. 7d, the user still faces South, but has swung his arm out
760 to point at a different angle with respect to his body. Now when the
user 770 looks at his direction resolver 750, the pointer 758 on the
direction resolver 750 has rotated 762 to compensate for the user's arm
swing 760, which caused a change of angular orientation of the direction
resolver 750 with respect to the directional reference of the direction
resolver 750. Thus the direction resolver 750 still indicates that the
user needs to move in a direction which is 45° from North 752, but
the pointer 758 of the direction resolver 750 has rotated anticlockwise
762 to compensate for the clockwise rotation 760 of the direction
resolver itself on the user's arm.

[0092] In the examples of FIGS. 6a-6b and 7a-7d, the direction resolver
650, 750 may also be configured to display a distance to destination
value (for example on an LCD screen). This distance information may be
transmitted from the master navigator 600, 700 to the direction resolver
650, 750 along with the bearing signal.

[0093] FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate an example portable apparatus (direction
resolver) 800 which indicates a distance to travel to a destination. In
these examples the direction resolver 800 is located close to a master
navigator as they are both located with the same user. This separation is
considered close enough that the two may be treated as being co-located,
such that for the purposes of calculating a distance of a destination
away from the master navigator, the distance is approximately the same as
the distance from the direction resolver.

[0094] In FIG. 8a, the direction resolver 800 indicates in text a distance
to travel (890 m) 802. This distance is considered as relatively far
away. The heading of the destination is in front of the apparatus 800,
and is indicated in this example as a spread of LEDs 806 which are
relatively dimly lit 808. The spread of indicators 806 is used to show
that the accuracy with which the destination is known is relatively low,
due to the relatively long distance between the destination and the
direction resolver 800. The spread of illuminated LEDS therefore gives a
"fuzzy" indication of the approximate heading. The relatively long
distance between destination and direction resolver 800 itself may be
indicated by the relatively dim illumination 808.

[0095] In FIG. 8b, the direction resolver 800 indicates in text a distance
to travel (40 m) 804 which is considered as relatively close to the
direction resolver 800. The heading of the destination again is in front
of the apparatus 800, and is indicated in this example as a single LED
810 which is relatively brightly lit 812. The single LED indicator 810 is
used to show that the accuracy with which the destination is known is
relatively high, due to the relatively short distance between the
destination and the direction resolver 800. The relatively short distance
between destination and direction resolver 800 itself is indicated by the
relatively bright illumination 812.

[0096] Thus the apparatus is configured to, when the master navigator
(remote apparatus) and direction resolver 800 are within a pre-configured
separation of each other, receive, from the master navigator, a distance
signal indicating the distance away of the destination 802, 804 with
respect to a determined location of the master navigator; and use the
distance signal to indicate, on the direction resolver 800, an
approximate distance away 802, 804 of the destination with respect to the
direction resolver 800 based on the distance away of the destination with
respect to the master navigator.

[0097] FIGS. 9a-9c illustrate an example in which a portable apparatus
(direction resolver) 900 is configured to indicate the heading of the
destination 902 with respect to a directional reference of the direction
resolver. In FIG. 9a the heading of the destination 902 is given as an
indicator showing the direction in a straight line from the direction
resolver to the destination. In FIG. 9b the heading of the destination
902 is given by an indicator showing an immediate direction of travel
required to arrive ultimately at the destination taking into account
route parameters. In FIG. 9c, both indicators are given showing the
direction in a straight line from the direction resolver to the
destination and an immediate direction of travel required to arrive
ultimately at the destination. In some examples a user may be able to
configure the settings of the direction resolver himself to decide which
indicator is provided or if both are to be provided.

[0098] FIG. 9a shows a map indicating a user with a direction resolver 900
at three locations A, B and C along their journey. The user wishes to
arrive at a destination 902. The heading of the destination 902 is given
as an indicator showing the direction in a straight line from the
direction resolver to the destination. Therefore at each location A, B,
and C, the direction indicated 904, 906, 908 on the direction resolver
900 corresponds to the direction in a straight line ("as the crow flies")
910, 912, 914 from the current location of the user (and direction
resolver 900) and the destination 902.

[0099] FIG. 9b also shows a map indicating a user with a direction
resolver 900 at three A, B and C along their journey to their destination
902. The heading of the destination 902 is given by an indicator showing
an immediate direction of travel required to arrive ultimately at the
destination taking into account route parameters. Such route parameters
may include, for example, known roads, footpaths and pedestrianised
areas. An immediate direction of travel required may be, for example,
along a road on which the user is currently located to arrive at a
junction. The immediate direction of travel required may be transmitted
from the master navigator (remote apparatus) as a bearing signal based on
route calculated using GPS at the master navigator, for example.

[0100] Therefore at each location A, B, and C in FIG. 9b, the direction
indicated 916, 920, 924 on the direction resolver 900 corresponds to
immediate direction of travel required. Thus at location A, the user
should travel as indicated by the apparatus' pointer 916 along the road
918; at location B, the user should travel as indicated by the apparatus'
pointer 920 along the road 922; and at location C, the user should travel
as indicated by the apparatus' pointer 924 along the road 926, in order
to arrive at the planned destination 902. In this example, there may be
more than one possible immediate direction of travel. Thus a signal may
be received from the master navigator which corresponds to a particular
one of the plurality of possible immediate directions for travel. The
particular one may be selected based on, for example, the shortest
overall travel distance, the least currently congested immediate and/or
overall travel route, and/or the most appropriate immediate route for the
user (for example, if the user has specified that they are travelling by
bicycle, the route indicated may preferentially by along a cycle path).
Other possible criteria are also known to the skilled person and are
included.

[0101] FIG. 9c illustrates an example direction resolver indicating both
an indicator showing the direction in a straight line from the direction
resolver to the destination 932 and an indicator showing an immediate
direction of travel required to arrive ultimately at the destination 930.
The distance 934 from the current location of the direction resolver 900
to the destination is also indicated in this example. This distance may
be in a straight line to the destination or along a particular route to
the destination. In other examples, both such distances may be indicated.

[0102] Generally in FIGS. 9a-9b, the apparatus receives a current bearing
signal valid for a particular time instance. The apparatus is configured
to receive respective current bearing signals indicating the directional
offset of the destination with respect to the directional reference at
the respective corresponding time instances. This regular updating of the
bearing signal is required because the user is changing their current
position (and that of the direction resolver) as they walk towards their
destination. The bearing signal is updated in time (for example, in real
time, periodically, or upon a change in direction and/or location being
detected). The apparatus is configured to use the respective current
bearing signals to adjust the indicated heading of the destination as the
direction resolver is moved with respect to a directional reference of
the direction resolver.

[0103] Therefore as the direction resolver (and the user) move, the
bearing signal is updated and timely relevant direction information is
conveyed to the user. To do this, the master navigator needs to know the
current location of the direction resolver. This may be achieved by the
remote and direction resolver being essentially co-located (such as both
being held or located with the same user) so that when the master
navigator obtains its own location using GPS, this can be treated also as
the approximate location of the direction resolver. In other examples,
the direction resolver may itself have some GPS functionality so that it
may determine its current location (but may not have the functionality to
display a map, for example).

[0104] As shown in FIGS. 9a-9b, the apparatus is configured to use the
respective current bearing signals to adjust the indicated heading of the
destination as the direction resolver 900 is moved by rotation and
translation of the direction resolver with respect to the directional
reference of the direction resolver 900.

[0105] In the above examples the user's direction resolver receives a
bearing signal from a master navigator which has GPS functionality, and
it is using this GPS functionality that the user's route/direction for
travel has been determined. Another example which does not rely on GPS is
that of a user wishing to locate a particular shop in a large shopping
centre. A user may be able to find the particular shop in an interactive
directory and transfer the heading of the shop to his direction resolver.
For example, a user may be able to obtain information using his direction
resolver from an interactive directory information point in the shopping
centre. Through near field communication (NFC), for example, a bearing
signal indicating the directional offset of the shop of interest, from
the information point location, may be transferred to the portable, so
that the direction resolver can indicate the heading of the shop to the
user. The user can then easily see from the direction resolver, for
example, "I need to head forwards and to the right" and move towards the
shop of interest. There may be several such information points throughout
the shopping centre so that the user can check and re-receive a bearing
signal from another information point on their way to the shop if they
wish.

[0106] Another example relates to finding a particular Bluetooth tag, for
example in a warehouse of tagged items. A master navigator such as a
mobile telephone or Bluetooth tag reader may be used to determine the
position of the particular tag of interest using a Bluetooth antenna or
antennae. A difference between the determined position and an internal
direction determiner of the master navigator may be calculated to obtain
the bearing signal. The internal direction determiner of the master
navigator may be a magnetometer, gyroscope, or other means as known in
the art. The bearing signal may then be transmitted form the master
navigator to the direction resolver which can indicate the location of
the Bluetooth tag of interest to the user. This may be convenient for a
warehouse worker, for example, who may need their hands free for carrying
goods and therefore may not wish to carry the master navigator in their
hands. The master navigator may remain in their pocket, and the direction
resolver may be worn on a wrist strap, for example.

[0107] FIG. 10 illustrates an example wherein the direction resolver
(portable apparatus) is a pair of headphones 1000 worn by the user 1002,
and the master navigator (remote apparatus) 1050 is a mobile telephone of
a contact 1052 with whom the user 1002 is currently holding a telephone
call. The user 1002 wants to meet up with the contact 1052 but the
meeting place chosen is very busy (not shown in the figures) and it is
difficult for the two people 1002, 1052 to see each other in the crowds.

[0108] An apparatus (which may be comprised in the user's headphones, for
example), is configured to receive, from the contact's mobile telephone
1050, a bearing signal indicating the directional offset of the location
of the contact 1052 with respect to a directional reference, such as
North. The location of the contact 1052 may be considered to be the
destination, and the direction from the user 1002 to the contact 1052 may
be considered to be the heading of the destination.

[0109] The apparatus then uses the bearing signal to indicate, by the
user's headphones 1000, the heading of the location of the contact 1052
with respect to a directional reference of the headphones (for example,
the headphones may contain a MEMS device which can determine the position
of North). The headphones 1000 can then convey the heading of the contact
to the user by adjustment of the volume level of audio indicators
provided to respective speakers/earpieces of the pair of headphones 1000.

[0110] In FIG. 10a, the contact 1052 is located to the left of the user
1002. The audio indicator in this example is the speech and sound output
from the telephone call with the contact 1052. In FIG. 10a, since the
contact 1052 is almost immediately to the left of the user 1002, the left
headphone speaker 1004 provides a loud audio output 1006 as it is closest
to the heading of the contact 1052. The right headphone speaker 1008
provides a very quiet audio output 1010 as it is furthest away from the
heading of the contact 1052. The user may then realise he should turn to
his left to better face the contact 1052.

[0111] In FIG. 10b, the contact 1052 is located in front of the user 1002.
Since the contact 1052 is equally to the left and the right of the user,
that is they are in front of the user 1002, the left headphone speaker
1004 provides an audio output 1012 of equal volume to the audio output
1014 of the right headphone speaker 1008. The user can then walk forwards
and will eventually meet up with the contact 1052. If the contact 1052
was located directly behind the user, the volume of the audio output may
be very quiet through both headphone speakers 1002, 1008. If this is the
case an additional audio signal may be provided to the user, for example
a command to "turn around", so that the user understands that the overall
quiet volume level is related to them facing in the opposite direction to
their destination and not related to, for example, a faulty connection or
broken headset. In general, rather than the volume of the speech output
being varied as the user changes angular orientation, the user may hear a
series of tones or beeps which vary in volume as the user rotates.

[0112] In this way as shown in FIGS. 10a-10b, an intuitive feedback system
may allow the user to turn around to face the contact with whom they are
trying to meet up, with the hope that they will be easier to spot in a
crowd because the user knows he is at least facing in the right
direction.

[0113] In the examples above, the bearing signal may be received by the
apparatus via wireless radio-communication, such as by Bluetooth or
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE/BTLE). Using a BTLE one way link may be
advantageous as pairing is not required (as required, for example, using
Bluetooth), and BTLE requires very low power. A BTLE device may be
powered, for example, by a button-cell/coin-cell battery. Other wireless
radio-communication methods which may be used include near-field
communication (NFC), via a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection
directly or via a server, via a messaging service, data download, or
other suitable communication method known in the art. An example of wired
communication is low voltage USB which may be used, for example, if the
devices physically connect via an item of clothing or a bag, for example.

[0114] Certain examples may provide with user with an audio, a visual, or
both an audio and a visual indication of the direction required to reach
the destination. For example, a direction resolver may have a visual
indicator of a pointer indicating the travel heading required, and if the
user is facing the correct direction an audio indicator could also be
output so that the user knows they are facing the correct way. A
directional haptic indicator may also or alternatively be included so
that the apparatus/device vibrates, for example if the direction resolver
is rotated away from the required heading.

[0115] FIGS. 11a and 11b illustrate examples which involve other computing
devices. FIG. 11a shows an apparatus 1100 in communication with 1106 a
remote server 1104 and in communication with 1112 with a master navigator
(remote apparatus) 1102. FIG. 11b shows an apparatus 1100 in
communication with 1106 a "cloud" 1110 for cloud computing, and in
communication with 1112 with a master navigator 1102. In this example the
apparatus 1100 is the direction resolver configured to act as a
direction/heading resolver and indicate a heading to a user. In other
examples the apparatus 1100 may form part of the direction resolver or
may be separate to the direction resolver. The master navigator 1102
(remote with respect to the direction resolver 1100), is shown both in
direct 1112 and in indirect 1106, 1108 communication with the direction
resolver 1100. The direction resolver 1100 may be an apparatus such as
that shown in FIGS. 1-4, for example.

[0116] The master navigator 1102 is in direct communication with 1112 the
direction resolver 1100 in relation to certain communications/data
transfers, and in indirect communication with 1106, 1108 the direction
resolver 1100 in relation to other communications/data transfers. Thus,
the direction resolver 1100 can communicate with the master navigator
1102 via the remote computing element 1104, 1110 and also directly 1112
with the master navigator 1102. The direction resolver 1100 and/or the
master navigator 1102 may be in communication with the remote computing
element 1104, 1110 via a communications unit 350, for example.

[0117] In certain examples, the master navigator 1102 may only be in
indirect communication 1106, 1108 with the direction resolver 1100. In
other examples, the master navigator 1102 may only be in direct
communication with 1112 the direction resolver 1100.

[0118] The direction resolver 1100 may be in wireless communication with
the remote computing element 1104, 1110. The master navigator 1102 may be
in wired or wireless communication with the remote computing element
1104, 1110 and/or with the direction resolver 1100. Communication may be
via the internet, Bluetooth®, a USB connection, or any other suitable
connection as known to one skilled in the art. The cloud 1110 in FIG. 11b
may be the Internet, or a system of remote computers configured for cloud
computing. The direction resolver 1100 is configured to receive a bearing
signal indicating the directional offset of a destination with respect to
a directional reference from the master navigator 1102 via the server
1104 or cloud 1110, or directly from the master navigator 1102.

[0119] A two way link between the direction resolver 1100 and the master
navigator 1102 may be advantageous, for example, if switching between "as
the crow flies" and "turn-by-turn" navigation modes as discussed in
relation to FIGS. 9a-9b. In this example, the direction resolver may
comprise a haptic sensor and be configured to switch between modes upon
the haptic sensor detecting the direction resolver has been shaken. To
indicate which mode is currently in use to the user, an LED heading
indicator may flash during "turn-by-turn" navigation and not flash/remain
illuminated during "as the crow flies" navigation, for example. The
master navigator still only needs to send a bearing signal to the
direction resolver, and the direction resolver sends a signal to the
master navigation to request a bearing signal in the other mode (as the
crow flies mode, or turn-by-turn route mode).

[0120] FIG. 12 illustrates a method of receiving, from a remote apparatus,
a bearing signal indicating the directional offset of a destination with
respect to a directional reference 1200, and using the bearing signal to
indicate, using a portable apparatus, the heading of the destination with
respect to a directional reference of the portable apparatus 1202.

[0121] FIG. 13 illustrates schematically an example comprising a
computer/processor readable medium 1300 providing a computer program. In
this example, the computer/processor readable media is a disc such as a
digital versatile disc (DVD) or a compact disc (CD). In other examples,
the computer readable media may be any media that has been programmed in
such a way as to carry out an inventive function.

[0122] It will be appreciated to the skilled reader that any mentioned
apparatus/device and/or other features of particular mentioned
apparatus/device may be provided by apparatus arranged such that they
become configured to carry out the desired operations only when enabled,
e.g. switched on, or the like. In such cases, they may not necessarily
have the appropriate software loaded into the active memory in the
non-enabled (e.g. switched off state) and only load the appropriate
software in the enabled (e.g. on state). The apparatus may comprise
hardware circuitry and/or firmware. The apparatus may comprise software
loaded onto memory. Such software/computer programs may be recorded on
the same memory/processor/functional units and/or on one or more
memories/processors/functional units.

[0123] In some examples, a particular mentioned apparatus/device may be
pre-programmed with the appropriate software to carry out desired
operations, and wherein the appropriate software can be enabled for use
by a user downloading a "key", for example, to unlock/enable the software
and its associated functionality. Advantages associated with such
examples can include a reduced requirement to download data when further
functionality is required for a device, and this can be useful in
examples where a device is perceived to have sufficient capacity to store
such pre-programmed software for functionality that may not be enabled by
a user.

[0124] It will be appreciated that the any mentioned
apparatus/circuitry/elements/processor may have other functions in
addition to the mentioned functions, and that these functions may be
performed by the same apparatus/circuitry/elements/processor. One or more
disclosed aspects may encompass the electronic distribution of associated
computer programs and computer programs (which may be source/transport
encoded) recorded on an appropriate carrier (e.g. memory, signal).

[0125] It will be appreciated that any "computer" described herein can
comprise a collection of one or more individual processors/processing
elements that may or may not be located on the same circuit board, or the
same region/position of a circuit board or even the same device. In some
examples one or more of any mentioned processors may be distributed over
a plurality of devices. The same or different processor/processing
elements may perform one or more functions described herein.

[0126] With reference to any discussion of any mentioned computer and/or
processor and memory (e.g. including ROM, CD-ROM etc), these may comprise
a computer processor, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC),
field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or other hardware components
that have been programmed in such a way to carry out the inventive
function.

[0127] The applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature
described herein and any combination of two or more such features, to the
extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried
out based on the present specification as a whole, in the light of the
common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art, irrespective of
whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems
disclosed herein, and without limitation to the scope of the claims. The
applicant indicates that the disclosed aspects may consist of any such
individual feature or combination of features. In view of the foregoing
description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that
various modifications may be made within the scope of the disclosure.

[0128] While there have been shown and described and pointed out
fundamental novel features of the disclosure as applied to examples
thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions
and changes in the form and details of the devices and methods described
may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope
of the disclosure. For example, it is expressly intended that all
combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform
substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve
the same results are within the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, it
should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps
shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or example
may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form
or example as a general matter of design choice. Furthermore, in the
claims means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures
described herein as performing the recited function and not only
structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. Thus although a
nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs
a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw
employs a helical surface, in the environment of fastening wooden parts,
a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures.